The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1887-12-10
KILLERS.
Monster Wasp Which Annihilates the
Monster Species Of Spider.

IAnHuN ~" "s@1@O0
, Monster Wasp Which Annihilates the
Monster Species Of Spider.
n have recently read some very in.
.resting original stories about animal
life" said a gentleman to a reporter.
and," he continued, "as they are all
heal OF California stories l want to
odd to the number. My business calls
me into the country a good deal. and
ssI am q passionate lover of nature,
with its myraids of forms of animal
life, ! amuse and entertain myself by
taking observations. One day while
ND in Calaveras County l was travel
ing through a rocky section and was
rather hard pressed for some thing to
entertain me. I finally reached a lit
tic glen, wheeled my horse about and
got under a magnificent shade-tree.
Then l dismounted and sat down to
take a rest.
Scarcely had I touched the grass
when l was entertained beyond all ex.
pectation by witnessing a bloody bat
tie between wasps and a t%arantula. !
call them wasps, though in reality they
we're not such, being much larger and
heavier about the body, which was
held together in two separate parts by
3 scarcely visible coupling. Their
waists seemed even smaller than the
common wasp, and they swung them.
selves about on the coupling with
lightniug-like ~dexterity.
1.-THE insects seemed to be very
much excited about something and
acted as if looking for prey. It may
be that hunger made them furious.
Any way l closely watched their &C.
tons and soon discovered the cause Of
their rage. A large tarantula Tcrept
from under a dry log and apparently
started for his house with all possible
speed. The wasps, as 1 will call
them, had been dashing themselves in
all directions about the log. but the
moment the insects saw their victim,
which had evidently been hiding,
they fell upon him f~uriously with
quick darts, and every dart seemed
o eject a poison which made the
;arantula writhe in agony. The lat.
er fights like a bear, resting ON his
launches and using his paws and legs
Is weapons Of defense.
1.-THE tarantula fought for his life,
md while doing so seemed 10 be con.
icious that, at all hazards he must
make for his house as the only hope
II safety. The wasps seemed by in.
to understand what was
,oing on in the mind of the
.,arantula and redoubled their
nerciless attacks. They struck their
So suddenly that he seemed at
lines to be bcwildcred. But he fought
desperately to the last. Finally the
conflict ended; the wasps had
and poisoned the tarantula to
leath.
'.After the battle was over I took q
glance at the body Of tine latter. It
,ore evidence Of a terrible struggle for
lie. When l approached it the wasps
lew away, but they did not evidently
ly far and were watching me. When
left the wasps returned and immedi-
ltely commenced to tear the dead Ia
to pieces. In an incredibly
hort time they had carried off tho
'ody piece by piece. either to feed their
'oung or lay in a supply Of food for the
Il made particular inquiries con-.
the habits of the monster
vasps and learned from some Of the
Id settlers that the vicious insects
regular tarantula-killers' and
hat scarcely one had ever survived
heir murderous onslaughts." -San
Examiner.